an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

The first must-see film of the year.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Bank-robber Franck Adrien is serving a prison sentence after robbing a national bank. Before he was caught he managed to hide the money but now it's not just the police who are looking for the money. His cell-mate is Jean-Louis Maurel, an alleged rapist/child molester who claims his innocence. When the court finds Maurel not guilty, Maurel promises to look after Franck's family when he gets out. But one day, a man called Manuel Carrega tells Franck that Maurel is a suspected serial killer and that Franck's family is in danger. Franck escapes from prison and police officer Claire Linné and her team take up the chase. La proie (2011) is easily one of the best French films ever made it's action packed and intense from start to finish, the fight sequences are spectacular and the choreography is believable, Albert Dupontel, Alice Taglioni and Stéphane Debac are terrific but Dupontel easily steals the show there's even a scene where he is running and the whole police force chases him or that scene where he uses a cop as a shield in order to escape threw the window. The movie does take a lot of plot points from both The Fugitive and Taken and for a French film is pretty damn good if you ask me. There's a lot of action, suspense and great chase sequences on either foot or car. Also is it just me or does Dupontel look a lot like Hugh Jackman in the Poster? Overall this is one hell of a movie and it will definitely win you over!!

THE PREY is yet another example of the riveting action thriller that the French have been putting out lately. The originator of the genre was Fred Cavaye's ANYTHING FOR HER, which really picked up in terms of intensity in the second half, while the recent likes of SLEEPLESS NIGHT, POINT BLANK, and MEA CULPA have shown that the French are head and shoulders above British or American attempts at the genre.Like those movies, THE PREY has a lean, pared-down plot which is basically a chase thriller. I won't spoil the storyline too much, suffice to say that the protagonist is a petty criminal who must escape from jail to go after an even greater foe. The narrative is chock-full of stunt sequences, intense and suspenseful chase moments, and even some brutal fight scenes which really propel things along.Albert Dupontel is really great as the put-upon lead but Alice Taglioni and Sergi Lopez are also particularly good among a solid supporting cast. The best things about the film are the direction and the cinematography which combine to deliver a realistic and gritty thriller and one that the viewer can thoroughly get caught up in. An eye-popping prison fight is the highlight here. The ending is a little lacklustre, but it's no matter when the rest of the film has been so fantastically engrossing.

THE PREY is a French take on the man-on-the-run genre. This time our hero is a bank robber in prison who makes the mistake of trusting someone he shouldn't. Soon his stashed loot has been stolen and his family are under attack. Naturally he breaks out, leading to a three way race where he pursues the man who betrayed him whilst being chased by a driven female cop. Cue lots of hanging off trains, running into oncoming traffic and jumping out of windows. It's a very pure film, with little in the way of sub-plots, which keeps the suspense up and builds thrilling sequences. Dupontel and his hilarious curly hairdo bring a much needed humanity to the main character, who must be made of rubber considering the absurd amount of damage he takes only to keep running. The villain is also effectively creepy. It never aspires to be anything more than entertainment, but more than lives up to its promise, right down to the soppily happy ending.

French thriller that moves right along, incrementally closing down your brain as it does so. Albert Dupontel has the face to makes it work as a con on the lam but he's undermined by his nemesis - lady cop Alice Taglioni who looks likes she's just stepped off the catwalk. Her long, luxuriant arms look like they wouldn't trouble a fly of average strength but here they're knocking perps flat out. Even for the French, this is a bit de trop. The rest of the cast are the real deal with everyone playing their part to the hilt. It also looks good and the endless chases are well executed but in most aspects it's blown away by French TV cop shows like Spiral.